Meet INFANT Lead Investigator Dr Simon Woodworth.

Simon is a lecturer in Business Information Systems in Cork University Business School. He teaches technical topics such as programming, software development and mobile application development.

Simon’s main research interests are: Connected Health in both community and hospital settings, in developed and developing countries. He is particularly interested in how improvements in patient outcomes can be brought about by replacing paper-based systems with electronic ones.

Other areas of research which interest Simon include how information systems influence patient care pathways; how decision support systems and business intelligence influence patient care and care management; how disruptive low – cost technologies can be used in resource limited environments and information systems cybersecurity.

Simon is currently involved in the following INFANT projects

  • The KILIMANJARO COALESCE project, which aims to implement an electronic birth registry in the Kilimanjaro region, thus providing data to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in the medium term.
  • Providing technical resources to the CODALIFE SFI proposal.
  • Providing technical assistance to the Conect4Children(C4C) project.
  • Reusing the LEANBH technology platform for the C-CAMHS project.
  • Investigating the use of smartphones for urinalysis.

“I have been involved in INFANT as a researcher for over eight years. Working here has always been hugely rewarding as the research is high impact with a measurable effect on the care of women and infants. I am thrilled to take on the role of Lead Investigator. I am very much looking forward to a busy few years working on multiple projects with the potential to improve clinical care both here in Ireland and also in sub-Saharan Africa. Right now this means continuing our work on the electronic birth registry for the KILIMANJARO COALESCE project in Tanzania, as well as contributing technically to theC4C project, the C-CAMHS project and the CODALIFE proposal”

Career Profile

  • 2013 PhD, Business Information Systems, UCC
  • 2005 MSc, Business Information Systems, UCC
  • 2015-Present Director, Health Information Systems Research Centre, UCC
  • 2004-Present Lecturer, Business Information Systems, UCC
  • 2002-2003 Business Analyst, Affinity Wireless Ltd, UK
  • 1992-1999 Various roles in telecommunications (including field engineering work in Africa and Customer Care Management in SE Asia), Motorola, UK and Ireland
  • 1988-1992 Various roles in telecommunications, Ericsson, Ireland
  • 1988 BSc, Computer Science, UCC

Professional Activities/Achievements: 

  • Consultancy Project of the year, 2021, Covid Response Team, Centre for Resilience for Business Continuity. Awarded in part for rapid setup of an Emergency Management Information System for the HSE the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Impact award for reusing LEANBH technology to allow pregnant women to self-monitor blood pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Member, HIQA Advisory Group, “National Standards for Information Management in Health and Social Care,” 2022.
  • Member, HIQA Advisory Group, “A consent model for the collection, use and sharing of Health Information,” 2020-2021.
  • Director, Health Information Systems Research Centre.
  • Advisory Board member, PANACEA H2020 project on cybersecurity in hospitals.
UCC RESEARCH PROFILE